Arch Hill, New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arch Hill
Looking east along Ivanhoe Road towards Arch Hill Reserve.
Basic information
Local authority	Auckland Council

	Arch Hill, New Zealand

Arch Hill is a small suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. The local government, the Auckland Council, looks after the area. Arch Hill got its name from its natural shape and features, which look like an arch or a hill.

History of Arch Hill

Early Times and Battles

Around the year 1730, this area might have been where a famous battle called "Te Ipu Pakore," or the "Broken Calabash Attack," took place. This important fight between two different Māori tribes likely happened along the ridge where Arch Hill is today.

The Young Family Farm

In the 1880s, Arch Hill was part of a large 80-acre farm. This farm stretched from what is now Great North Road all the way to the Morningside area. Joseph and Jane Young, who came to Auckland in 1842, owned this farm. They named it 'Arch Hill' after a farm Joseph knew from his childhood in Strabane, County Londonderry, Ireland. Joseph Young passed away on his Arch Hill property in 1880.

In 1885, their son, also named Joseph, built a house called Breveg Villa. The name Breveg came from his mother Jane's family name. This house is still standing at 47 Western Springs Road, though it's now separated from Arch Hill by a major road.

Homes and Changes

Most of the houses in Arch Hill were built around the early 1900s. Many of them are small homes for workers or wooden villas. The plots of land are often quite small, and many homes don't have off-street parking. Because Arch Hill faces southeast, away from the sun, it was always seen as a less popular place to live compared to nearby Grey Lynn or Kingsland.

Over time, some houses have been replaced by small businesses or apartment buildings.

Motorway and Roads

Before 1979, the Northwestern Motorway was built through the Arch Hill Gully, which is at the bottom of the suburb. This big road changed how the streets connect. Many roads that used to go all the way from Great North Road to Kingsland are now dead ends. Today, Bond Street is the only road that goes all the way through.

Local Government and Voting

After the 1870s, a group called the Arch Hill Roads Board was formed to manage the area. It was like its own small town government for a while. Later, in the 1910s, the people of Arch Hill voted to join the larger City of Auckland.

In 1946, a special voting area called the Arch Hill electorate was created. This area was made up of parts of other voting areas like Auckland Central and Grey Lynn.

The Arch Hill Hotel

The Arch Hill Hotel was a well-known building at the corner of Great North Road and Tuarangi Road. It's now where the Surrey Crescent shops are. This hotel was built in the 1800s and is still there, though it has been changed over the years. Around 1900, the hotel closed because the people living in the area voted to "go dry." This meant they voted to stop the sale of alcohol in their community.

Education

Students in Arch Hill can attend several local high schools. These include Western Springs College, Mount Albert Grammar School, St Paul's College, and St Mary's College.